15 Must-See Exhibitions at Gallery Weekend 2017

We've rounded up the exhibitions and events the art world will flock to

Berlin Gallery Weekend 2017 is just around the corner. From Thursday to Sunday, 47 galleries all over the city are opening their doors to collectors, buyers and contemporary art lovers. With so many exciting vernissage, most of which opening on Friday unless stated below, it can be difficult to choose which ones to go to. Here is a list of a few must-see shows for this weekend chosen by Sleek.

“Ambiguity and paradox” are the themes of German artist Thomas Schütte’s exhibition at Carlier Gebauer which opens on Thursday. As a “seismograph” of his surroundings, Schütte explores the human condition through sculptures, paintings and photographs as well as architectural models.

This exhibition, curated by Joanna Warsza, features several artists dealing with the history of Poland being constantly torn between the East and the West. It also considers recent political events of the country and attempts to shed light on them by exploring the (post)colonial mindset of “a neurotic country”. It opens on Thursday at 7pm and is followed by a day –long symposium on Friday.

American artist Kerry James Marshall’s paintings of African-American life has impressed museum lovers all over the world including Chris Dercon, former director of the Tate Modern in London and soon-to-be director of the Volksbühne Theater in Berlin. On Saturday at 4.30pm, the two have a conversation about Marshall’s art at Villa Grisebach.

The collective Symonds Pearmain, a collaboration between Anthony Symonds and Max Pearmain, features both a catwalk show and a new fragrance called “Iron Lady” at Galerie Isabella Bortolozzi. For the latter, the designer and the stylist paired up with photographer Tyrone Lebon who shot the marketing photos portraying pornographic actress Stoya. The catwalk will host not only models but also actresses, dancers and performers.

“Squishy: eels swim in snakey” at Julius art space, courtesy of the gallery

This exhibition, curated by Àngels Miralda, showcases the works of Débora Delmar Corp, Joey Holder, Ittah Yoda, Sachin Kaeley, Miriam Lenk and Salou Sowe. Spray paints, photographs and sculptures of reptiles wind through the Rococo walls of the cosy art space Julius. The exhibition explores the relationship between ancient creatures and humans to investigate how alien they appear to us even though they are part of our history.

“Living Sci-Fi, under the red stars” is the name of the second solo exhibition of Chinese artist Guan Xiao. As the name suggests, Guan Xiao explores how urban environments change rapidly under the influence of new technology. Her work is all about breaking clichés and so her exhibition will also feature the video “Dengue Dengue Dengue” in which she regards human habits as a form of contamination of our behaviour.

Art in the System. The System in Art.Eigen + ArtAuguststraße 26, 10117

German painter, graphic designer and conceptual artist Karl-Heinz Adler, Swiss curator Hans Ulrich Obrist and German artist Olaf Nicolai who represented Germany in the last Venice Biennale, join together for a conversation and present the gallery’s new catalogue on Saturday at 12pm.

Gallery Weekend does not only showcase new exhibitions, but also other events such as the launch and reading of Adam Pendleton’s new book “Black Dada Reader” which will take place on Sunday at 4pm. “Black Dada”, according to Pendleton, is his artistic output and the reader is a collection of essays and texts on the concept of his work. He combines these with texts by several writers and curators. Pendleton’s solo exhibition, “shot him in the face”, is also still on display until May 14th.

This is Anri Sala’s first solo exhibition “Take Over” at the gallery’s new space on Potsdamer Straße 81E. A sound and video installation looks into the relationship between two political anthems, the Marseillaise and the Internationale, the tunes of the French Revolution and the Socialist movements, and how they have changed in the course of politics and history

For the exhibition “Love Story”, Breitz interviewed six people who have gone through extreme suffering within their homelands and then fled to a safer place with the hope of a better future. But instead of having them perform their stories, it is the actors Alec Baldwin and Julianne Moore doing that for them. This produces a stark contrast between the privileged and despairing, the real misery being told through well-known performers.

Comprising two parallel exhibitions, “In Process” brings together work by Israeli artist Amir Fattal with Australian artist duo Clark Beaumont. Opening Sunday 30 April, the exhibitions will premiere with a live performance of “The O Zone” by Clark Beaumont that begins at 6pm.

This exhibition, curated by GeoVanna Gonzalez, will open on Sunday, the last day of Gallery Weekend, and is not officially part of the programming. It wants to separate itself from the official event, which, according to Gonzalez, sometimes features art events that are too commercial to produce an authentic portrayal of the Berlin art scene. “A New Prescription for Insomnia” includes artists such as Paul Barsch, Adam Chad Brody, Zoe Claire Miller and Miller Robinson who make us aware that we are in a constant state of insomnia by being always switched on. They explore ways of contemporary survivalism by escaping and emptying ourselves from that state.

Also not a part of the official Gallery Weekend program, but worth mentioning nonetheless, is Museum Show at New Day Gallery. Featuring works by up-and-coming artists Chloé Royer, Papy Ferens and Hugo Avigo, the show explores the young talents’ abilities to create three-dimensional paintings through space-related sculptures.

Gallery Weekend takes place in Berlin 28-30 April 2017

Feature image: Slavs and Tatars, “In the Name of God”, 2013. Courtesy of the artist.